Soon Daniel heard the beating of the drums from within the camp. He glanced back to see a flag being waved from a tower at the entrance to the camp. Tian Dong tapped his shoulder and when he had his attention pointed forward. “The flags are instructions for the leaders of the different formations. We don’t need to worry about them. We only need to worry about the instructions we get from our leaders. Until you learn what is important to focus on, focus on what’s in front of you. You’ll live longer. Got it?”
Daniel nodded. Tian Dong laughed, “Good, just stick with us. We’ll do our best to keep you alive until we can give you the explanation you need.”
Daniel once again looked out across the valley in front of him to see the Orcs had started to move. In one massive tide they swarmed down towards the river. Shortly after that, their own formation received its orders and along with roughly half of the other light infantry formations began to move forwards themselves. Daniel didn’t understand half of the orders they were given but he knew that he just had to stay with his team so it simplified his actions.
At first they moved forward at a brisk walk, but then they increased their pace to a jog. Finally, shortly after they came into the valley itself they increased their pace once again. Daniel heard what seemed like a crashing sound that turned into a series of impacts, howls, screams, and shouts. Coming over a rise, he saw it. Their formation had come in contact with the front of the orcish horde.
There was frenzied fighting where the two groups had come together and already there were corpses on the ground. The orcs fought with ferocity, jostling each other to arrive at the front and kill their enemies. On the other side, the humans fought in their five man teams, bringing their spears to bear on one or two orcs at a time, ensuring that through their teamwork they brought their opponents down. When a team looked like it was in a precarious position, they would swap with the team behind them to rest.
Like a well oiled machine, the light infantry formation engaged the orcs this way. Even with their teamwork the orc’s strength and ferocity was still not to be underestimated as casualties were inflicted on both sides. To bring down even one orc, the humans had to trade on of their own. Sometimes up to two or three would go down.
It wasn’t long before it was Daniel’s turn. His team moved forward to replace a team that had just lost its right forward. The orcs tried to exploit the moment where the two teams were switching out, but Tian Dong stabbed the first orc in the gut with his spear. It was only now that Daniel noticed that these orcs were practically unarmored. It didn’t help him much because the things easily towered over him.
Natalia followed Tian Dong in. The orc had been stunned by the power of Tian Dong’s attack, so she quickly stabbed it through its now gaping mouth. Daniel saw the spear go out of the back of its head. On the right side, Eric and Chris both targeted the second orc to push forward. Their attacks were only effective in drawing a little blood but it was still pushed back, stilling the advance of the orcs on that side.
Daniel attempted to mimic them, using the skills he had gained in fighting games, he took his stance and stabbed his spear towards an orc coming in from the left of their team. With growing trepidation and horror, he watched as the spear glanced harmlessly across its flank and an axe blade filled his vision.
You have died! Assessing death penalty. Character level 0. Penalty: -0 levels, 1 night.
Welcome Daniel. Your death penalty has been completed. You have lost 0 levels and 1 night. It is now morning. Fight hard! Your species depends on it!
Derek looked around and saw that he was in the same tent he had been in the last time he woke in this place. The quartermaster looked at him with a slight frown, “Well young man, it’s to be expected. It will take you a while to get used to being out there. Here, let’s replace your ruined chest piece. Looks like you were cleaved from your shoulder to your navel. That must have been a hell of a sight.”
The other man helped him take off his ruined chest piece and threw it on a pile of other discarded armors. Derek saw another pile near it of broken weapons. The quartermaster then reached into a shelf and pulled out a replacement for Derek. As he helped him put it on he grumbled, “I have to repair these, you know? So if you won’t keep yourself from getting killed just for the sake of your own well-being then at least do it to save me some work. There, it’s fastened and your other pieces are still in place. Good, head out now. Join your team. This time, don’t die.”
Daniel nodded numbly as he walked out of the tent. He saw his team waiting for him like they had the day before. They had stiff smiles on their faces as they looked at him. Derek noticed that Chris was now wearing a clean leather chest piece as well now too.
‘Did that mean he died just like me?’ He didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about that, but a part of him thought that it was slightly less embarrassing now that he knew he wasn’t alone.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Tian Dong looked at him, “Daniel, remember what I said yesterday about attacking what we attack? I mean it. Until you learn how to fight, only attack the enemies that I or Natalia attack. Trust me on this. I am trying to keep you alive here.”
Daniel hung his head, feeling ashamed, “I am sorry.”
Tian Dong shook his head at him, “Don’t apologize to me, apologize to yourself. The instructions I gave you were meant to keep you alive. Because you failed to follow them, you died. It was you that suffered because you failed to follow them. I can only do so much for you out there. If you want to live out here, you need to do your part too.”
“I understand.” Daniel said sheepishly.
Tian Dong looked at him, “Maybe, maybe not. We will find out. If you get lucky, you will figure it out quickly, if not, it will take years. In the end, it will be you that suffers. Ok, let’s go folks.”
With that Tian Dong led the team out of the camp and they took their position in the formation. After a short while, the drums began to beat and the flags began to wave. The orcs surged forward on the other side of the valley and shortly afterwards they were ordered to move forward again. Eventually, the two sides collided once again and soon enough it was their turn to start fighting.
This time Daniel did everything he could. Because of how effective Tian Dong and Natalia were. He didn’t get very many chances to attack, but every once in a while, the opponent would still be alive but hurt. Daniel would stab forward to try to land a blow, but most often the blow would merely score the tough hide of the orcs he attacked or stop after only a short penetration. Finally, after several times, the spear in his hand managed to strike a place between the orc’s ribs and entered quite deeply into the orc’s upper abdomen. In a rage it spun, yanking the spear out of his hands and Daniel watched once more as an axe closed in on him.
You have died! Assessing death penalty. Character level 0. Penalty: -0 levels, 1 night.
Welcome Daniel. Your death penalty has been completed. You have lost 0 levels and 1 night. It is now morning. Fight hard! Your species depends on it!
Daniel stood there in the quartermaster’s tent with a stunned look on his face. The other man looked at him and stood up without saying anything. He removed the ruined leather cap from Daniel’s head and placed another one on his head. He then pushed him out of the tent with a muttered, “Don’t worry boy. You will get the hang of it. Just don’t let it get to you.”
Daniel stood outside of the tent for a while before he heard his name being called. Tian Dong came over and looked at him, “I know it’s hard, kid, but you need to stay focused. That was bad luck, and you need to get a lot better at using your spear. I don’t know where you learned to use yours like that, but it’s all wrong. Your moves are all flash and no substance. Watch what I do. See this? Push forward from feet to calves, thighs, hips, core, chest, and back muscles, then shoulders, and finally arms. Try that today, and when you stab the enemy, either continue driving through as if you want to knock him down, or twist and pull out so you can back up. Don’t stand and watch him counterattack you. Got it?”
They had joined the group now. It looked like Tian Dong was the only one that had survived the last fight as the other three all had new armor on. Daniel could no longer feel any better about it. Once they joined up, the five headed back out of the camp to join their formation.
The drums beat, the flags waved, the orcs rushed forward, and the humans moved to meet them. Daniel attempted to follow through with what Tian Dong had taught him, but he found focusing on the movements made him slower and his attacks were not timely. Most of the time he missed or ended up stabbing an orc that was already dead, but as the fighting continued he improved.
Finally, after TIan Dong and Natalia had both injured an orc in front of them, Daniel stabbed forward with his spear again. This time, the spear caught the orc in its solar plexus and drove up into the lungs and heart. The spear easily penetrated until the metal blade could no longer be seen and as the orc toppled backwards, Daniel was tugged with it. Pulled out of formation, he could only curse his dumb luck as he saw a pair of axes swinging at him.
This time, it wasn’t clean. One axe crushed his shoulder and took his arm, while another eviscerated his abdomen causing his intestines to come pouring out.
Congratulations! You have killed a level 1 Orc! Gain 6 experience. Current experience 6/100
Daniel stared at that box blankly as he processed the excruciating pain pouring through his body. He heard the sounds of fighting for a moment, before Natalia grimly stood over him. She shook her head before her spear stabbed into his throat.
You have died! Assessing death penalty. Character level 0. Penalty: -0 levels, 1 night.
Welcome Daniel. Your death penalty has been completed. You have lost 0 levels and 1 night. It is now morning. Fight hard! Your species depends on it!
‘In a way, it really was a mercy, wasn’t it.’ Daniel thought to himself as he found himself in the quartermaster’s tent once again. They changed out his broken armor pieces once again before Daniel once more left the tent. This time, he trudged over to where his team was waiting for him.
Daniel looked over at Natalia who wasn’t making eye contact with him. ‘At least she feels guilty about it.’
“Natalia, thank you,” Daniel decided to break the ice. He now knew why they did it. The pain had been real and there was no pain in dying, only the penalties and so far he had lost nothing that he could tell from them.
She looked up and nodded, “Just remember to do that for any of the rest of us if the need arises.”